#hungary 2022 thursday

[umseb]

sebastian vettel preens while making his way through the paddock, hungary - july 28, 2022 📷 dpa picture alliance / alamy

#sebastian vettel #f1 #formula 1 #hungarian gp 2022 #fic ref #fic ref 2022 #hungary #hungary 2022 #hungary 22 #hungary2022 #hungary22 #hungary 2022 thursday

[umgeorge]

george russell arrives to the circuit, hungary - july 28, 2022 📷 bryn lennon; dan mullan / getty

#george russell #f1 #formula 1 #hungarian gp 2022 #fic ref #fic ref 2022 #hungary #hungary 2022 #hungary 22 #hungary2022 #hungary22 #hungary 2022 thursday

[ummick]

mick schumacher arrives to the track, hungary - july 28, 2022 📷 xpb images ltd / alamy

#mick schumacher #f1 #formula 1 #hungarian gp 2022 #fic ref #fic ref 2022 #hungary #hungary 2022 #hungary 22 #hungary2022 #hungary22 #hungary 2022 thursday

[f1]

#F1 2022 Hungary Grand Prix Thursday press conference transcript #f1 #formula 1

[robinfrinjs]

can you explain the alex palou situation please. i don't follow indycar but i need to know the tea

Ok so I'll try to explain it but it's quite a complicated situation. This is all I know and can remember at this point.

Back in 2022 Chip Ganassi Racing, the team he was driving for at that moment. Had announced they had taken the option on Alex's contract so he would be staying with the team for the 2023 season.

However a little after that Alex Palou released a series of tweets stating that this wasn't true. See below.

According to Alex as said CGR used a quote that wasn't his. And specifies he does not intend to continue with the team after 2022

Just after Alex his Twitter thread, McLaren announces Alex will be driving for the team in 2023.

However CGR still stays with their press release and says Alex Palou is under contract through the 2023 season.

A few days after this rumours surface that Palou would be benched for the remaining IndyCar races. This however did not end up happening. What did happen is Palou saying his access to team date had been restricted.

Not too long after CGR files a civil lawsuit

Alex his lawyers state that by filing a lawsuit, CGR is impacting Alex his F1 opportunity for the worse.

CGR dropped the lawsuit and on September 14 2022 it was announced Palou and CGR would stay together for the 2023 season. This included a blessing to test Formula 1 cars with McLaren.

After this the news died down a little. It seemed Palou would drive his last season for CGR in 2023 and would then move to McLaren. However recently it appeared Alex Palou has informed the team he "does not intend to honor his contractual obligations," according to a statement from McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown given to IndyStar.

To thicken the plot. His management team wasn't notified of this either. Monaco Increase Management said Palou last spoke to his management on 9 August and hasn't returned any calls since. And hadn't mentioned any intention to not honor the contract he had with McLaren. Since then he hadn't returned any calls or messages and thus released this statement.

Chip Ganassi released a statement Saturday saying: "I grew up respecting the McLaren Team and their success. The new management does not get my same respect. ... Simply stated, the position of McLaren IndyCar regarding our driver is inaccurate and wrong; he remains under contract with CGR."

During this season he has represented McLaren at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami and has tested the car in Hungary.

Yasukawa, Palou's former manager has confirmed that he's now in charge of his contractual affairs.

This next text is all from IndyStar:

Earlier this summer, IndyStar was told by a source close to the parties' negotiations that in McLaren's signed contract with Palou existed a clause listing a date (believed to be July 31) before which the driver could have released himself from his future deal with McLaren if he had landed an offer for a 2024 F1 ride. Should an F1 offer have come in after that date, Palou would've been required to have McLaren loan him out (or arrange for McLaren to be paid some level of a buyout) in order for Palou to be driving anywhere other than Arrow McLaren during the 2024 racing season.

As Palou told reporters Thursday, no offer for a 2024 F1 ride had been made to Palou before he informed McLaren of his decision to back out of his multi-year deal. Pertinent to Friday's news, IndyStar also reported earlier this summer that CGR had extended Palou a new, sizable seven-figure contract offer in the midst of the runaway championship leader's run of three consecutive wins and four in a five-race span.

After this the news died down again for a few days but it has since been revealed McLaren has filed a lawsuit against Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi Racing driver's racing entity and also ALPA Racing USA, LLC.

This is still recent news so all can be found here:

#alex palou #indycar #racing #sorry if this is message i wrote most of this while queuing for a concer6

[mariacallous]

Balkan countries have made progress in providing measures of gender identity recognition in law in recent years, but more work on improving transgender rights is needed, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights said on Thursday.

A new report, “Human rights and gender identity and expression”, released 15 years after the first paper by this organisation on this topic, notes that across Europe transgender people face high rates of discrimination, violence and insecurity in their lives.

“There is no such thing as granting ‘special’ rights, and realising the human rights of trans people does not undermine the rights of others. Human rights are universal: they apply equally to everyone,” the CoE Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, said, releasing the report.

In recent years, progress was made in providing measures of gender identity recognition in law in 37 CoE member states, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey. However, regression has been noted in Hungary and Bulgaria since 2020.

However, obtaining Legal Gender Recognition, LGR, in half of the CoE member states requires a mental health diagnosis or psychological evaluation, including in Bosnia, Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.

The Commissioner recommends the repeal of these conditions due to the alleged pathologization of trans people.

In at least 11 member states, legal gender recognition requires sterilisation and invasive physical interventions, which she said violates the right to physical integrity. This is the case in Bosnia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.

“The Commissioner encourages member states to consider ways to ensure reparation and rehabilitation for individuals who have previously submitted to sterilisation as a pre-condition for LGR,” the report says, noting that some member states, including Sweden and the Netherlands, have adopted such initiatives.

The topic of legal gender recognition for children is also raised, citing a survey where 72 per cent of “adult trans people realised that their gender identity did not match their sex assigned at birth before reaching the age of 18”. Even though most European countries prohibit or restrict legal gender recognition of children, this is not the case in Croatia and Montenegro, among others.

“Arguments that LGR prematurely or inappropriately medicalises young people and their bodies are misplaced since, as noted, no person, irrespective of age, should have to submit to physical medical interventions or diagnoses as a pre-condition for LGR in the first place,” the report says.

Based on the Trans Murder Monitoring project, it is estimated that the highest number of murders of trans people between 2008 and September 2023 in Europe took place in Turkey, where there were 65 victims.

Online anti-trans hate speech, media and statements of politicians additionally influence the vulnerable position of transgender people.

Transgender people held in detention are also exposed to violence and discrimination from detainees and from those in positions of authority, which was reported in Greece in 2022.

The document provides 15 recommendations to Council of Europe member states regarding effective policy making, anti-discrimination legislation, healthcare, education, sport, etc.

Member states should also acknowledge individualised experiences, since all people experience their gender identity and gender expression in diverse ways, it says.

Regarding trans women in sport, the Commissioner addresses the current heated public debate on this topic. “There is no evidence that trans women competitors are currently overrunning women’s sport, nor is there evidence that male fraudsters are systematically using trans rights for personal gain,” the report says.

[coochiequeens]

If boys want to stay home watching porn and/or gaming then it’s a good thing that women are picking up the slack in society.

Hungary’s state audit office has issued a report about the risks of the country’s education system being “too feminine”, saying it could hurt the development of boys and create demographic problems.

The report was issued last month but had not caught the public’s attention until a newspaper article was published on Thursday.

“The phenomenon called ‘pink education’ has numerous economic and social consequences,” states the report by the state body, which is seen as close to the nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orbán.

As in many countries, the teaching profession in Hungary is dominated by women, accounting for 82% of the country’s teachers.

“If education favours feminine traits” such as “emotional and social maturity” and “provokes the overrepresentation of women in universities, equality (of the sexes) will be considerably weakened”, the report concludes.

It warns that if boys, who, it said, are more inclined to be entrepreneurial and take risks are not allowed to develop unfettered they will be at risk of “mental and behavioural problems”.

The report adds that boyish traits of creativity and innovation are “necessary for the optimal development of the economy”.

see rest of article

According to an analysis, the significant overrepresentation of women in higher education may cause demographic problems. As the time spent with getting a degree results in difficulties finding a partner, it can lead to the risk of decrease in fertility. Therefore, the Hungarian State Audit Office expressed worries about too many women having a degree. More women are admitted to higher education than men According to Népszava, the State Audit Office published their „Pink education” analysis this July. In the analysis, they write that every year between 2010 and 2021, more women were admitted to higher education than men. In the fall semester of the 2022 academic year, the proportion of women will already be 54.5 percent. In addition, male students are more likely to drop out. But this tendency is visible at secondary schools, which more girls attend than boys. This is a very important data as 70 percent of full-time students come from secondary schools.

Demographic problems The Hungarian State Audit Office is worried about the overrepresentation of women in higher education. They believe that the probability of women getting married and thus the chance of having children decreases. This can even lead to demographic problems, they say. According to the analysts, an educational strategy is needed to prepare for a successful independent adult life, reports 444.hu. They would like to conduct deeper research into the consequences of the phenomenon and to define measures depending on the results.

see rest of article Source: dailynewshungary.com https://dailynewshungary.com/state-audit-office-too-many-hungarian-women-have-a-degree/

#Hungary #pink education #Stop making excuses for boys being mediocre

[usafphantom2]

Agreement will allow USAF to position its military aircraft at bases in Finland

U.S. military will have access to Finnish military bases on the Russian border.

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 12/17/2023 - 19:25in Military

The U.S. and Finland will sign a defense cooperation agreement next week, which will grant the U.S. military military access to bases and facilities across the Nordic country and its border with Russia.

This will allow the U.S. rapid military access and aid to Finland in case of conflict.

The government published the document called the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) on Thursday, which grants U.S. soldiers access to air force bases, naval bases, garrison areas, training areas, storage areas and barracks of the Finnish Border Guard.

“The DCA deals with practical issues such as the entry of troops, pre-positioning of equipment and taxation,” explained the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The DCA specifies the places where cooperation and collaboration between Finland and the United States would mainly focus."

There are currently 15 facilities listed in Finland to which the U.S. will have full access - which will include the ability to store military equipment and ammunition there.

The agreement provides for four air bases, with at least two destined for the U.S. Air Force and its aircraft, a military port where U.S. Navy warships will also be able to dock and rail access to northern Finland, where the U.S. will have a storage area next to a railroad that leads to the Russian border.

The details of the deployment, including the types of aircraft that may be stationed in Finland, have not yet been finalized.

The government of Finland proposes to authorize Minister of Defense Antti Hakkanen (or in his absence Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen) to sign the DCA on December 18 in Washington D.C.

Since the DCA contains provisions of a legislative nature, it is subject to the approval of the Parliament of Finland.

Along with the signing of the defense agreement, Finland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elina Valtonen, will discuss bilateral relations between the two nations, current NATO affairs and Russia's aggression against Ukraine with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Finland became the newest member of the NATO military alliance earlier this year, in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Sweden also expressed intentions to open its doors to U.S. forces, potentially adding seventeen new military facilities. Combined with the fifteen of Finland, this would raise the total to 32 new U.S. bases in Northern Europe. Sweden's entry into NATO is still awaiting Turkey's approval, conditional on the sale of F-16 fighters by the US.

The US has signed similar agreements with NATO members Norway, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia.

An agreement with Denmark is currently pending approval.

Moscow expressed discontent with Finland's accession to NATO and is considering "technical-military" measures in response.

“The line of contact between NATO and the border of the Russian Federation has more than doubled,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. "This is a major change for Northern Europe, which used to be one of the most stable regions in the world."

A Kremlin spokesman said that the U.S. access release agreement will “certainly lead to tension.”

Tags: Military AviationIlmavoimat/Finnland Air ForceNATO - North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air Force

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[brookston]

Holidays 8.31

Holidays

Baloch-Pakhtun Unity Day

Cow Chip Tossing Day

Crop Dusting Day

Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland)

Festal Day (Order of the Eastern Star)

Flag Day (India)

Hari Kebangsaan (Malaysia)

International Blog Day (a.k.a. International Day of Blogs and Bloggers)

International Day for People of African Descent (UN)

International Overdose Awareness Day

Limba Noastra (Day of Our Language; Moldova)

Love Litigating Lawyers Day

Merdeka Day (Malaysia)

National Box Car Day

National Dan Day

National Diatomaceous Earth Day

National HalfCut Day (Australia)

National Leslie Day

National Matchmaker Day

National South Carolina Day

North Borneo Self-Government Day

National Zoo Awareness Day (UK)

Opioid Misuse Prevention Day

Overdose Awareness Day

Princess Diana Memorial Day

Rabbit Rabbit Day [Last Day of Every Month]

Romanian Language Day (Romania)

Sărbătoarea (a.k.a. Limba noastră; Language Day; Moldova)

Take a Seat Day

Tank Day (Lešany, Czech Republic)

Walnut Day (French Republic)

We Love Memoirs Day

White Rose Day (Australia)

Withdrawal of the Last American Soldier Anniversary Day (Afghanistan)

World Distance Learning Day

World Sanskrit Day

World Solidarity Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Bacon Day [also 12.30]

Eat Outside Day

Grape Blessing Day (Armenia)

Invent A New Sandwich Day

National Trail Mix Day

Vegetable Day (Japan)

5th & Last Thursday in August

National Banana Pudding Day [Last Thursday]

National Cabernet Sauvignon Day [Last Thursday]

Thoughtful Thursday [Thursday of Be Kind to Humankind Week]

Independence Days

Befshire (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Kyrgyzstan (from USSR, 1991)

Malaysia (from UK, 1957)

Trinidad and Tobago (from UK, 1962)

Feast Days

Aidan of Lindisfarne (Christian; Saint)

Alter Ego Day (Pastafarian)

Aristides of Athens (Christian; Saint)

Cuthburh (Christian; Saint)

Dominguito del Val (Christian; Saint)

Fourth Onam (Rice Harvest Festival, Day 4; Kerala, India)

Frey’s Blot (Pagan)

Gai Jatra (Cow Festival, in remembrance of people who died the previous year; Kathmandu Valley, Nepal)

Henry (Muppetism)

Isabel (Christian; Saint)

Joseph of Arimathea (Christian; Saint)

Jouffroy (Positivist; Saint)

Nicodemus (Christian; Saint)

Paulinus of Trier (Christian; Saint)

Paul Reubens Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Raymond Nonnatus (Christian; Saint)

Roger Dean (Artology)

Wala of Corbie (Christian; Saint)

Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria (Christian; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [48 of 71]

Premieres

All Or Nothing At All, recorded by Frank Sinatra (Song; 1939)

American Idiot, by Green Day (Song; 2004)

Andor (TV Series; 2022)

Bad, by Michael Jackson (Album; 1987)

The Big Sleep (Film; 1946)

Bolero (Film; 1984)

Bugsy and Mugsy (WB LT Cartoon; 1957)

The Commuter, by Philip K. Dick (Short Story; 1953)

The Constant Gardener (Film; 2005)

Document, by R.E.M. (Album; 1987)

Fly, by Dixie Chicks (Album; 1999)

Foundation and Earth, by Isaac Asimov (Novel; 1986) [Foundation #5]

Get Rich Quick (Disney Cartoon; 1951)

Goat’s Head Soup, by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1973)

The Great Gildersleeve (Radio Series; 1941)

Jack Ryan (TV Series; 2018)

Only Murders in the Building (TV Series; 2021)

Orient Express, by Graham Greene (a.k.a. Stamboul Train; Novel; 1932)

Pluto’s Judgement Day (Disney Cartoon; 1935)

The Psychology of Intelligence, by Jean Piaget (Science Book; 1947)

Raising Demons, by Shirley Jackson (Memoir; 1957)

The Threepenny Opera, by Bertolt Brecht (Play with Music; 1928)

Wildest Dreams, by Taylor Swift (Song; 2015)

The World According to Garp, by John Irving (Novel; 1978)

Today’s Name Days

Paulinus, Raimubd (Austria)

Josip, Nikodem, Optat, Paulina (Croatia)

Pavlína (Czech Republic)

Bertha (Denmark)

Arved, Arvi, Arvid (Estonia)

Arvi (Finland)

Aristide (France)

Aidan, Anja, Paulinus, Raimund (Germany)

Bella, Erika (Hungary)

Aristide (Italy)

Aigars, Aira, Labite, Vilma (Latvia)

Raimunda, Raimundas, Vilmantas, Vilmantė (Lithuania)

Berta, Berte (Norway)

Bohdan, Paulina, Rajmund, Rajmunda, Świętosław (Poland)

Nora (Slovakia)

Ramón (Spain)

Arvid, Vidar (Sweden)

Aden, Aidan, Aiden, Ayden, Edan, Edana, Eden, Edina, Egan, Egon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 243 of 2024; 122 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 4 of week 35 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Coll (Hazel) [Day 24 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Geng-Shen), Day 16 (Xin-You)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 14 Elul 5783

Islamic: 14 Safar 1445

J Cal: 3 Aki; Threesday [3 of 30]

Julian: 18 August 2023

Moon: 99%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 19 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Jouffroy]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 4 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 71 of 94)

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 10 of 32)

#calendar #Holidays

[44lh]

Lewis Hamilton, 2022 Hungary GP, Thursday. Photo by Glenn Dunbar.

#lewis hamilton #f1 #f1edit #m* #2022 #hungary #stop saying you guys dont like the hat bc i made it for him myself.

[umseb]

daniel ricciardo and sebastian vettel greet each other on media day, hungary - july 28, 2022 📷 zak mauger [1-2]; andy hone [3] / motorsport images

#sebastian vettel #daniel ricciardo #f1 #formula 1 #hungarian gp 2022 #fic ref #fic ref 2022 #hungary #hungary 2022 #hungary 22 #hungary2022 #hungary22 #hungary 2022 thursday

[umgeorge]

george russell in the paddock, hungary - july 28, 2022 📷 joao filipe / alamy

#george russell #f1 #formula 1 #hungarian gp 2022 #fic ref #fic ref 2022 #hungary #hungary 2022 #hungary 22 #hungary2022 #hungary22 #hungary 2022 thursday

[ummick]

mick schumacher speaks to the media, hungary - july 28, 2022 📷 joao filipe / alamy

#mick schumacher #f1 #formula 1 #hungarian gp 2022 #fic ref #fic ref 2022 #hungary #hungary 2022 #hungary 22 #hungary2022 #hungary22 #hungary 2022 thursday

[f1]

Red Bull's Max Verstappen will have five-place grid penalty for Belgium GP

Verstappen has won nine of the 11 races so far in 2023 Red Bull's Max Verstappen will have a five-place grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix as a result of using too many gearbox parts. The punishment will apply for Sunday's grand prix and not Saturday's 'sprint'. The penalty has not been officially confirmed, but BBC Sport has verified it with senior figures in Red Bull. Such is the performance of Verstappen in the Red Bull that the penalty is unlikely to impact his chances of winning the race at Spa-Francorchamps. The Dutchman, who is leading the championship by 110 points after winning nine of the 11 races so far in 2023, is on a run of seven consecutive grand prix victories, two short of the all-time record in a season set by Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull in 2013. And at last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull won their 12th consecutive Formula 1 championship race, breaking a record held by McLaren since 1988. Although the penalty will mean Verstappen will start behind at least five other cars, he won last year's Belgian Grand Prix from 14th on the grid in arguably the most dominant performance since the start of F1's new regulations introduced in 2022. McLaren's Lando Norris, who finished second to Verstappen in Hungary on Sunday, said on Thursday's media day before the penalty became apparent: "Even if they started last in every race, they're going to come through [the field]." Teams are limited to four each of a prescribed number of gearbox components in F1. Verstappen has taken his fifth of at least one of the components. It was not immediately apparent which part had caused the problem. via BBC Sport - Formula 1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/

#F1 #Red Bull's Max Verstappen will have five-place grid penalty for Belgium GP #Formula 1

[mariacallous]

Ukraine and Moldova will receive a green light for the opening of their accession negotiations with the EU, according to media in Moldova and Romania that refer to draft conclusions of the European Council summit that will take place on Thursday and Friday.

However, Brussels sources told BIRN under condition of anonymity that this draft changes several times daily, depending on the negotiations. “To recommend the opening of negotiations, we must have unanimity, and we don’t have it. The draft is changing two to three times daily,” BIRN sources said.

Hungary is the EU country most opposed to opening membership talks with Ukraine. But the Netherlands might also say “No”, which could result in a “No” for Moldova as well, as the two countries are bracketed in a package.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that he had a “straightforward” verbal exchange with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday. “It was as honest as possible – and obviously, it was about our European problems,” Zelenskiy said in a video speech posted on Telegram on Monday.

Orban’s press chief, Bertalan Havasi, confirmed the meeting in an email that did not specify whether the Hungary would continue to oppose Ukraine’s entry into the European Union.

“The Council welcomes the substantial progress that Moldova has made in meeting the objectives underlying its candidate status, in the face of significant challenges arising from Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and hybrid actions against Moldova itself,” reads the draft consulted by G4Media.

In terms of fundamentals, the Council recognises Moldova’s clear commitment to its reform process and the decisive steps taken. It underlines the importance of maintaining a sustainable and tangible reform progress, particularly in the rule of law, justice and fundamental rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities.

Authorities in Moldova are advised to continue to reform justice and fight corruption. Brussels recommends further building a solid track record of investigations and convictions, including corruption cases at high levels.

The draft conclusions also recommend granting the status of “candidate country” to Georgia, which missed this opportunity in June 2022. Polls show that 80-90 per cent of Georgians want their country to join the EU. However, Georgia’s ruling party must still implement the necessary reforms to keep the country firmly on the European path.

On November 8, the European Commission issued a favourable report for Ukraine and Moldova ahead of the vote at the European Council on December 14-15. Any decision of the European Council must be unanimous after be voted on by the 27 heads of state and governments of the member states.

[beardedmrbean]

Ilta-Sanomat (siirryt toiseen palveluun)is among the papers which speculate that an announcement is forthcoming on Friday that Turkey will ratify Finland's application for Nato membership.

President Sauli Niinistö is to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Friday afternoon.

IS reports that Niinistö will start his day's programme at 11:30am by laying a wreath at the Ataturk mausoleum, followed by a ceremonial reception, one-on-one talks with Erdogan, a joint press conference and finally Niinistö's own press conference.

Erdogan is expected to announce his approval of Finland's Nato membership at some point during the day.

According to Ilta-Sanomat, once Erdogan has made his announcement, Turkey is thought to be able to ratify Finland's membership application in less than a week. The paper writes that it now strongly seems that Turkey will ratify the application before the Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 14 May.

The ratification of Sweden's membership, it seems however, will continue to face a delay.

Ilta-Sanomat also notes a report by the Hungarian media outlet HVG according to which the largest governing parties in Hungary, Fidesz and KDNP, have agreed to hold a decisive vote on Nato expansion during a parliamentary session on 31 March.

The Tampere-based daily Aamulehti (siirryt toiseen palveluun)writes that an interesting question is why Turkey seems to have decided to move Finland's membership application forward right now.

As the Vilnius summit approaches, pressure on Turkey from the rest of Nato has intensified. By ratifying Finland's membership, Turkey can at least alleviate claims that it is playing into Russia's hands.

The journey to this point has been long and has required patience, Aamulehti points out.

"When Finland and Sweden submitted their Nato application on 18 May 2022, very few people guessed that more than nine months later, the matter would still be unresolved," the Tampere-based daily writes.

Russia disappointed

Iltalehti (siirryt toiseen palveluun)takes up a Tass news agency report from Moscow saying that Russia is deeply disappointed by the desire of Finland and Sweden to join the western military alliance.

According to Tass, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov commented on the subject on Thursday, saying that there has never been a threat from either side, and their wish to join Nato can only be viewed with the greatest disappointment.

"We have repeatedly said that Russia does not pose a threat to these countries in any way, because we do not have any bad blood with these countries, and these countries have never expressed an intention to become anti-Russian. They did not pose a threat to us, and, accordingly, there was no threat from us to them. Therefore, we can only express regret here," Peskov told the media, when asked about the Kremlin's reaction to Turkey's announced support for Finland's Nato membership bid.

Marin tops another poll

Finnish voters view Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) by far as the most successful political party leader in the country, according to an Uutissuomalainen news group poll (siirryt toiseen palveluun) published on Friday.

Marin, who chairs the Social Democratic Party, was named by 26 percent of respondents as the most successful leader, up from 21 percent in a similar survey in October.

Li Andersson of the Left Alliance and Riikka Purra of the opposition Finns Party tied for second place, with both being ranked as most successful by nine percent of voters polled.

Both Andersson and Purra overtook opposition NCP chair Petteri Orpo. In October, Orpo was rated by 12 percent of voters as the second most successful leader, but in this poll was ranked top by eight percent.

Commenting on the poll, Heikki Paloheimo, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Tampere, noted that Marin seems to enjoy a lot of support not only from members of her own Social Democratic Party, but also from the supporters of the Left Alliance and the Greens.

Tampere University Communication Studies Professor Pekka Isotalus pointed out that Marin is viewed positively among all age and professional groups, income and education categories, and in all residential areas.

"There has been talk that Marin is especially popular with young women, but she seems to be popular with men of all age groups as well," he told the Uutissuomalainen news group.

The results of the poll are based on the responses of around 1,000 voters surveyed by the pollester Tietoykkönen at the end of February. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points in each direction.

Snow, rain, cold, warm

Iltalehti reports that the weather in Finland will continue to be unsettled this coming week, as a low pressure front spreads over northern Europe.

Finland is likely to see more precipitation than average and temperatures are deviating from what is normal for the time of year.

The paper relays a posting by Foreca Meteorologist Joonas Koskela saying that the situation is quite similar to the week that started on 13 March. It is a little colder than average in northern Finland, and milder than average in the south and east.

According to Koskela, once again the country can expect both snow and rain this coming week, with the mix coming down even southern parts of the country.

#nunyas news #updates from up north